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Washington's D likely lets them down at some point in the playoffs, but damn they are fun to watch. This type of game will be a welcome respite compared to the Hawks new clutch and grab, no skill division.

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You shut your filthy mouth. Byfuglien will finish the season with 246 assists, Frolik with 82 game winning goals, and TROOOOUUUBBBBAAAAAAA with the rookie goals record, points record, and 7 different player heads on his mantle after he removes them from their body. Fucking Canuck fans, just because you guys have nothing left to hope for, don't bring us down!

82-0 bitches. The Stanley Cup parade route is being drawn up as we speak.

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Is it too early to say Trouba, if he plays like that, could play his way into Olympic talk?

If he plays like last night, yeah of course, but he is a 19 year old so there will undoubtedly be nights where we are not sure what he's thinking on the ice. I'd be very surprised if he makes it in the end, but who knows.

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In the continuing saga of "how to waste all the potential in the world", Dustin Penner will apparently open the season as a healthy scratch for Anaheim, despite being the big target brought in to help replace some of Bobby Ryan's departed scoring.

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The best take on the fighting debate I've heard was from an emailer on MvsW who brought up how all sports are inherently meaningless and arbitrary forms of entertainment so saying fighting doesn't belong in hockey is silly because it's a game created by man. As if we're sullying something pure by having fighting in it. No, this is hockey, what we decided it would be way back when people were really cold and really bored.

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When downhill skiing and marathon running are removed from their respective Olympics (both of which have actually killed people several times, unlike hockey fights), auto racing has been banned worldwide (has killed numerous drivers, not to mention several hundred fans), and we go 10 years in hockey without anyone's throat being slashed by a skate (no one's died yet through dumb luck), around then you can start having the "fighting is too dangerous" argument. But until then it really seems like the worst kind of revision I can imagine.

"Someone could die in a hockey fight" is really completely hollow nonsense. I realize we live in an age of utter paranoia and fear mongering, but it's not even particularly logical as a target in those terms. If someone wants to make a case built around something more concrete I'll certainly listen as there probably is a real discussion to be had once you get past that, but an argument built around "fighting is dangerous" is straight out of Dr. Strangelove.

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When downhill skiing and marathon running are removed from their respective Olympics (both of which have actually killed people several times, unlike hockey fights), auto racing has been banned worldwide (has killed numerous drivers, not to mention several hundred fans), and we go 10 years in hockey without anyone's throat being slashed by a skate (no one's died yet through dumb luck), around then you can start having the "fighting is too dangerous" argument. But until then it really seems like the worst kind of revision I can imagine.

"Someone could die in a hockey fight" is really completely hollow nonsense. I realize we live in an age of utter paranoia and fear mongering, but it's not even particularly logical as a target in those terms. If someone wants to make a case built around something more concrete I'll certainly listen as there probably is a real discussion to be had once you get past that, but an argument built around "fighting is dangerous" is straight out of Dr. Strangelove.

Gentlemen, you can't fight in here! This is the war room!

All I want to hear from people who don't like fighting in hockey is "I don't like it so that's why I want it out." I'm cool with that. It's all these other ways people try to dress up their own personal issue that gets annoying.

1

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Wait, not wanting dudes to be concussed and have all the possible physical and emotional fallout from repeated severe concussions is not a valid concern? Cool. Shit, I'll admit it, some fights are fucking entertaining, but it's not worth it. If those guys want to earn money through fisticuffs, join a boxing gym or martial arts camp.

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Wait, not wanting dudes to be concussed and have all the possible physical and emotional fallout from repeated severe concussions is not a valid concern? Cool. Shit, I'll admit it, some fights are fucking entertaining, but it's not worth it. If those guys want to earn money through fisticuffs, join a boxing gym or martial arts camp.

Yeah but you manage to justify watching pro wrestling and MMA so I gotta think your position about concussions in your entertainment is pretty flimsy. It's obviously not enough to make you stop watching these things.

They don't want to be boxers, they want to earn money playing hockey. This is just part of their role. Do you think third line checkers really want to run around throwing hits, blocking shots and getting off the ice as soon as possible? No. They'd rather be making plays and scoring goals too.

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I agree. It's hypocritical and I accept that. The main difference, though, is punches to the head are an inherent part of combat sports, they aren't in hockey. That's where I see the difference. Furthermore, when Rashad Evans does the stanky legg, he's not cracking his skull on ICE.

Fighting in hockey is just some archaic bullshit, with players stating its a form "self policing," which doesn't work at all. I loved the media dolts asking guys like Spezza about fighting. Like he's going to alienate a handful of his teammates in front of the national media.